World Steel Production Report

ISSB Monthly World Steel Production Review

WORLD STEEL REVIEW, December 2012

Crude steel production in the 62 countries reporting to the World Steel Association totalled 125 million tonnes in October, 0.5% up on the October 2011 total. The ten months total was 1275 million tonnes, just 0.6% higher than the same period last year. However, excluding China, the monthly total actually fell by 3.9%, with a decrease of 0.7% in the year to date.

Steel production in the 27 member countries of the European Union fell by 6.3% in October to 14.2 million tonnes; this brought the ten months total down by 4.7% to 144 million tonnes. German production actually rose by 0.3% in October, bringing the ten months total down 4.4% to 36.1 million tonnes. Production in Italy, however, decreased by 10.4% in October, while the year to date total fell by 3.6% to 23.3 million tonnes. French production fell by 7.2% in October, although the ten months total increased by 0.3% to 13.4 million tonnes. Spanish steel production decreased by 15.6% in the month, and by 13.1% in the year to date to 11.7 million tonnes. UK monthly steel production was 9.1% higher, while the year to date total was just 0.7% up at 8.2 million tonnes.

European car registrations published by ACEA showed a fall of 4.6% in October, with the ten months total down by 6.9%. The largest market, Germany, actually showed an increase in registrations in the month of 0.5%, while the year to date total was down by 1.6% at 2.62 million cars. In the United Kingdom, October's total was 12.1% up, while the year to date total increased by 5% to 1.77 million cars. In France registrations decreased by 7.8% in October, and were down by 13.3% to 1.59 million cars in the year to date. Italy's monthly registrations fell by 12.4%, bringing the year to date total down by almost 20% to 1.2 million cars. In Spain, the fifth largest market, registrations dropped by nearly 22% in the month, and were down by 12% in the ten months to 600 thousand cars.

In the rest of Europe Turkish steel production was 6.9% lower in October, but was 6.7% up in the year to date at 30 million tonnes, ahead of both the Ukraine and Brazil. Bosnia's monthly total rose by 20%, bringing the ten months total up 10.6% to 578 thousand tonnes. The Norwegian year to date total was 576 thousand tonnes, 18% higher than in 2011. Turkey is now the eighth largest exporter of steel in the world just behind Italy with a total for the first nine months of 2012 of 14 million tonnes. This was 10.5% up on the same period in 2011. 45% of the total was deformed reinforcing bars, 28% up on the previous year, with semis (virtually all billets) accounting for a further 16.7% of the total which was 25% up on the previous year. Almost half of Turkey's exports went to Middle Eastern countries with Saudi Arabia and Iraq accounting for half of this total. Africa accounted for a further 18.6% of total exports in 2012 with Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia being the top three destinations.
The European Union only took 10% of Turkish exports, almost 50% down on the previous year. Asian countries only accounted for 3% of Turkish exports in 2012.

Among the CIS countries crude steel production in Russia was just 0.7% down in October at 5.7 million tonnes; the year to date total, however, rose by 3.3% to 59.2 million tonnes. In the Ukraine October steel production decreased by 17.5%, bringing the ten months total down by 6.9% to 27.6 million tonnes. Kazakhstan's year to date total fell by 15% to 3.4 million tonnes, although the Belarus total was up by 3.4% to 2.3 million tonnes.

Steel production in the USA fell by 3.3% in October, bringing the year to date total up 4.2% to nearly 75 million tonnes. Canadian production rose by 2.9% in October, and by 4.7% in the ten months to 11.4 million tonnes. Mexican steel production increased by 6.2% in the month, while the year to date total decreased by 0.9% to 15.1 million tonnes. The Trinidad and Tobago year to date total rose by 2.3% to 523 thousand tonnes.

In South America, Brazilian crude steel production increased by 7.7% in October, although the year to date total fell by 1.8% to 29.2 million tonnes compared to last year. Argentinian production in October dropped by 18%, while the ten months total was down 8.7% to 4.3 million tonnes. Venezuelan crude steel production, however, increased by 9.6% in the month, but the year to date total was 21% lower at 2.1 million tonnes. Chilean production in the ten months rose by 3.8% to 1.4 million tonnes.

Among the Middle Eastern countries Iranian steel production increased by 13.8% in the month, and by 10.2% in the ten months to over 12 million tonnes. In Saudi Arabia steel production was 9.6% up in October, although the year to date total decreased by 1.6% to 4.3 million tonnes. Egypt's monthly total fell by 4.6%, while the year to date total rose by 2.2% to 5.6 million tonnes. South African steel production fell slightly in the month, bringing the ten months total down 10.7% to 5.7 million tonnes.

In Asia Chinese steel production increased by 6% in October, bringing the ten months total up by 2.1% to 602 million tonnes, 47% of world production. Indian monthly steel production increased by 7.3% while the year to date total was up by 4% to nearly 64 million tonnes. Japanese production, however, fell by 6.7% in the month, bringing the year to date total down just 0.4% to 90.2 million tonnes. South Korean steel production also fell by 7.1% in October, bringing the ten months total to 57.9 million tonnes, an increase of 2%. Taiwanese steel production, on the other hand, was estimated to be 25% lower in October, and 11% down in the year to date at 17 million tonnes.